The present invention relates to a new type of clip assembly that can be used to temporarily attach or secure a writing implement such as a pen or other hand-held instrument to a variety of anchoring points (i.e. the object to which the clip is attached) and effortlessly detach the instrument from the anchoring point whenever the user so desires. Such anchoring points may be of a greater thickness than those anchoring points to which present clip designs are capable of securely attaching.
Clips on writing implements and small handheld instruments are well known. Such clips are commonly utilized to secure or anchor a writing instrument to the pocket of a shirt or similar garment. A significant disadvantage of prior known clips for such objects is that the clip is only capable of anchoring the instrument to a thin piece of material. Such prior known clips are either mechanically incapable of anchoring to thicker materials, or doing so places inordinate stress on the clip such that it is likely to break, bend, incur damage, and/or permanently lose holding strength when returned to a thinner anchoring point.
Additionally, the clasping power of prior known clips against the anchoring point is often insufficient to secure the handheld instrument. Prior known clips with more substantial anchoring force are often too bulky or heavy to attach to a shirt pocket or are incompatible with a small, hand-held instrument. Furthermore, prior known clips with substantial clasping force often cause deformity, destruction, or damage to an anchoring point that becomes evident upon removal of the clip.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a clip that may be used upon a hand-held writing instrument or other hand-held instruments that is sturdy, opens wide, is not too bulky or heavy to attach to a shirt pocket, and is sufficiently strong to securably clasp thicker more voluminous objects that a garment pocket or several pieces of paper.
The present invention provides for a novel clip assembly comprising a clip, or rigid member, that clasps to an anchoring point, a pin or pin-like structure, and a spring, that may be permanently affixed to a hand-held implement. In essence, the invention provides for a hand-held implement, such as a writing implement, the body of which includes flanges with holes to receive a pin or pin-like structure, wherein the pin or pin-like structure comprises a substantially cylindrical metallic element including a slit that substantially or completely occupies the long axis of the pin or pin-like structure. The pin or pin-like structure is passed through holes on the underside of a rigid member as well as the coil of a spring wound around the pin or pin-like structure such that the rigid member is hingedly attached to the hand-held implement. The rigid member contains a first end that clasps an article, and a second end for manually operating the rigid member.
The present invention satisfies the need for a hand-held device such as a pen capable of clasping anchoring points of varying thickness, but generally increased thickness compared to that of a garment pocket. The present invention provides for a wide-angle clip adapted for inclusion on various hand-held implements, including, but not limited to, writing implements. The wide-angle clip is further adapted for attachment to various xe2x80x9cthickxe2x80x9d objects including, but not limited to, backpacks, belts, coats, books, and note pads. An advantage of the clip described herein is that it permits a hand-held implement (e.g., a pen) to be attached to objects that have a thickness greater than that of a typical shirt pocket without destruction or damage to the clip or to the article to which the clip is attached. The clip is also capable of securely attaching the hand-held implement to conventional thin anchoring points, such as a shirt pocket, without difficulty. The hand-held implement described herein can be freely and easily detached from an anchoring point by a user. The present invention, therefore, has an advantage of versatility, ease of use, and increased clasping strength over conventional clips found on hand-held implements such as writing implements.
An additional desirable feature of the present invention, in some embodiments, is that the clip can be made in various shapes and sizes without sacrificing the functional features of the clip. The versatility in the size and shape of the clip can be adapted for the purpose of placing advertisements on the surface of the clip, which would be viewable by others even if the barrel of the hand-held instrument was within a pocket or in the user""s hand.
In some embodiments, the clip is wider than conventional clips in order to attain a larger surface area necessary to increase the clasping power of the clip against the object to which the clip is attached or to increase the surface area upon which advertising indicia, for example, is printed.